[UK] Only a third of eligible dads take paternity leave

New analysis has revealed that only a third (32 per cent) of eligible dads took paternity leave in the last year, leading to calls for employers to improve provisions for new fathers, People Management reports.

Just 204,000 fathers claimed paternity leave in the year 2021-22, according to HMRC figures from March.

The analysis by law firm EMW also reportedly found that the number of paternity leave claimants has remained relatively stable since 2012-13. It only altered during the pandemic when the number dropped from 208,000 in 2019-20 to 161,000 in 2020-21.

The figure bounced back soon after yet remains much lower than the number of maternity leave claimants, which is currently 636,000.

Currently statutory paternity pay is £157 per week; it has only increased by £20 since 2014. Had this figure kept up with inflation, the analysis found, fathers would now be eligible to earn £181 per week.

Jon Taylor - principal at EMW - reportedly said fathers were getting a “raw deal” on paternity pay during the cost of living crisis and said that it was “not increasing anywhere near fast enough to keep up with the spiralling cost of living”.

Office for National Statistics figures from June this year calculated the average salary in the UK at £562 a week. This means that fathers whose only entitlement is statutory paternity pay were taking home just a quarter of average weekly earnings. 

Mr Taylor said that this low level of pay may colour families’ decisions on whether to have children, “The current rate of paternity pay is a disincentive both to having children and to men contributing actively to raising them,” he said. 

Jane van Zyl - chief executive of Working Families - said the low level of statutory pay was only one of many barriers to new dads being able to spend time with their baby. “It’s not possible to take paternity leave over a split period, and self-employed fathers are not eligible for any leave at all,” she said.

The incoming prime minister should “look at improvements to paternity leave and a review of shared parental leave that balances the needs of employers and employees but also prioritises fairness in addressing these barriers that new fathers experience”, Ms van Zyl said.

New fathers may be entitled to more money if their employer offers a company paternity scheme, in common with maternity leave. To be eligible for the statutory amount, men must have been continuously working at their company for 26 weeks and must earn at least £123 per week.

Eligible fathers are entitled to either one or two week’s leave and must notify their employer at least 15 weeks in advance of the baby’s due date.

In addition, dads could be entitled to shared parental leave (SPL), where parents are permitted to share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay between them. However, eligible men are not entitled to paternity leave if they take SPL.

Source: People Management

(Quotes via original reporting)

New analysis has revealed that only a third (32 per cent) of eligible dads took paternity leave in the last year, leading to calls for employers to improve provisions for new fathers, People Management reports.

Just 204,000 fathers claimed paternity leave in the year 2021-22, according to HMRC figures from March.

The analysis by law firm EMW also reportedly found that the number of paternity leave claimants has remained relatively stable since 2012-13. It only altered during the pandemic when the number dropped from 208,000 in 2019-20 to 161,000 in 2020-21.

The figure bounced back soon after yet remains much lower than the number of maternity leave claimants, which is currently 636,000.

Currently statutory paternity pay is £157 per week; it has only increased by £20 since 2014. Had this figure kept up with inflation, the analysis found, fathers would now be eligible to earn £181 per week.

Jon Taylor - principal at EMW - reportedly said fathers were getting a “raw deal” on paternity pay during the cost of living crisis and said that it was “not increasing anywhere near fast enough to keep up with the spiralling cost of living”.

Office for National Statistics figures from June this year calculated the average salary in the UK at £562 a week. This means that fathers whose only entitlement is statutory paternity pay were taking home just a quarter of average weekly earnings. 

Mr Taylor said that this low level of pay may colour families’ decisions on whether to have children, “The current rate of paternity pay is a disincentive both to having children and to men contributing actively to raising them,” he said. 

Jane van Zyl - chief executive of Working Families - said the low level of statutory pay was only one of many barriers to new dads being able to spend time with their baby. “It’s not possible to take paternity leave over a split period, and self-employed fathers are not eligible for any leave at all,” she said.

The incoming prime minister should “look at improvements to paternity leave and a review of shared parental leave that balances the needs of employers and employees but also prioritises fairness in addressing these barriers that new fathers experience”, Ms van Zyl said.

New fathers may be entitled to more money if their employer offers a company paternity scheme, in common with maternity leave. To be eligible for the statutory amount, men must have been continuously working at their company for 26 weeks and must earn at least £123 per week.

Eligible fathers are entitled to either one or two week’s leave and must notify their employer at least 15 weeks in advance of the baby’s due date.

In addition, dads could be entitled to shared parental leave (SPL), where parents are permitted to share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay between them. However, eligible men are not entitled to paternity leave if they take SPL.

Source: People Management

(Quotes via original reporting)